Hello Quilting Friends! If you haven’t signed up yet for your favorite 2019 Marcus BOM programs yet, remember that January marks the start of three exciting block-of-the-month programs, followed by three more beginning in March. You’ll love these gorgeous designs by Nancy Rink, Pam Buda, Sarah Maxwell, and Sheryl Johnson.
Never tried a BOM? We’ve got the Top Ten Reasons why you should! So, check out the program details, then visit your local quilt shop to participate!
Well, the Electric Quilt Design Challenge for October has come to a close, resulting in a total of 52 great entries from quilters using Electric Quilt to design quilts using Laura Berringer’s KI-COO GARDENS collection. You can view all of the creative designs here, but for now we’d like to highlight the two entries chosen as winners in EQ’s random drawing!
Holly Wilson describes her creation as “A Little applique wall (hanging), with Ki-Coo Gardens, which provided a spin on the colors I would have normally used. The color palette can be used with a multitude of designs.”
Debbie Langendorf said of her winning entry (below): “I’ve been making small quilts and thought this might be very nice for Spring. I love the colors of these fabrics. They are bright and happy. Because my block has small triangles I wanted the Points Out border to highlight more of the fabrics. This was fun.”
Both Holly and Debbie Will receive fabric packs of Ki-Coo Gardens prints. Well done, ladies, enjoy the real fabrics this time ; ) And thanks to everyone who participated, as well as our friends at EQ.
…and if you’re attending, we look forward to seeing you in the Marcus Brothers/Studio 37 Fabrics Booth #1801! These are just a few of the featured collections you can see up close and personal:
And there’s more…
—SCHOOLHOUSE: “CREATIVE BLOCK EXCHANGE with Pam Buda’s Circa 1880 Club” Friday, Nov. 2, Room 362F, 3:45-4:15pm
—NEW BOM and CLUB PROGRAMS from your favorite designers, including Pam Buda, Sheryl Johnson, Krisann Watkins, Nancy Rink and Sarah Maxwell.
—BOOK SIGNINGS with Sheryl Johnson (Sat, Nov 3 at 2pm) and Pam Buda (Sun, Nov 4 at 11am)
—CREATIVE DEMOS by Sarah Maxwell, PLUS… Sarah and Nancy Rink will discuss and SNEAK-PEEK their upcoming Quilt-along, “Mix It Up”!
Safe travels, everyone — We’ll see you soon!
(Boards by Miriam Rawson)
Yes, today is World Embroidery Day!
In 2011 a local group belonging to Broderiakademin, the Swedish Embroiderers’ Guild, took the initiative to plan and create a special day to celebrate embroidery. World Embroidery Day was born. It’s now celebrated yearly on July 30.
So we thought we’d celebrate with a sneak peek at some of the embroidery work in our office, both finished and in-progress:
A while back, Brandy added lush embroidery stitches over the floral motifs of Laura Berringer’s INDIGO INFLUENCE, all raw-edge appliqued onto a background of Laura’s hot pink COLOR INFLUENCE texture print! We loved the results ; )
Pati just started a yet-to-be-identified project, using our all-cotton BASECLOTH as the foundation. I think she actually started this on her bus commute ; ) The Basecloth’s slightly pebbled texture and medium weight make it the perfect support for all types of embellishments. It’s also great for clothing, which you can then embellish as you like.Look for all eight colors at your favorite quilt shops.
Next, in the showroom we came across this gorgeous pillow, a contemporary design by Miriam Gourley. She adds hand stitching over a mix of FADE OUT neutral tonals by Laura Berringer, with appliques of Kim Eichler-Messmer’s IMBUE BATIKS.
We could all probably use little “embroidery break”, a minute to slow down end enjoy some creative, tech-free handiwork, so why not today? As mentioned on the World Embroidery Day website, “Make 30th July a day filled with creativity for the sake of Peace, Freedom and Equality”. Check out the manifesto in English, and find links to other languages on the site, too — Happy Stitching!
Have you seen the gorgeous KI-COO GARDENS collection by Laura Berringer? It’s arriving in quilt shops now, and you might even be lucky enough to WIN a free FQ bundle of these pretty Asian -influenced motifs from our friend Patricia Belyea of Okan Arts. You’ll find all of the July giveaway details on her recent blog post – just follow the simple instructions for your chance to win.
(Photos: Okan Arts)
When the giveaway closes on July 31, whether you win or not, we’ve got two great free projects you’ll want to get started on right away… So, be sure to visit the Okan Arts blog post now to enter. And follow us all on Instagram: @okanarts, @laurasewmodern, @studio37fabrics, @marcusfabrics
Good Luck to all!
Sew This Great Gear NOW!
With July half over already (!) the time is right for planning and sewing back-to-school gear, and Pete the Cat makes it fun for everyone! Our PETE THE CAT: BACK TO SCHOOL fabric collection is available in quilts shops everywhere, and we’ve got a couple of great free projects, too…
This quick-to-sew drawstring duffel is perfect for pint-sized pupils, showing off the overall panel design with crayon print lining/facing. Make the matching zip-up crayon case, in the crayon print as shown, or your favorite Pete print.
The backpack is expertly modeled by Zuri. Her mom and dad say Zuri is quite familiar with Pete the Cat through her various school activities and library visits, and she’s a big fan!
If you’ve got pint-sized Pete fans at home too, DOWNLOAD the FREE PROJECT now, and get them excited for the new school year!
©1999, 2010 James Dean by arrangement with MerryMakers, Inc.Pete the Cat® US Reg. #3820216, #4903976. Manufacturers Require a License
So, is it just us, or does it seem like every quilter we know is working on projects for the newest additions in their lives? (Just yesterday one of our designers announced that she’s expecting a grandchild, and it goes on from there!) Blankets, bibs, stuffed toys, seat covers, changing pads and of course, cute outfits all make the list, and we just happen to have the perfect collection – SONGBOOK: Little Star is Laura Berringer’s (@laurasewmodern) lovely little flannel collection and it’s hitting quilt shops now!
Inspired by the time-honored lullaby, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” the group features musical motifs and lyrics, along with stars, baby footprints, feathers and sweet messages. Laura’s gentle color palette goes beyond the classic pink-or-blue option to include yellow, green and aqua, with neutral tones of tan and grey added for a bit of “Modern Baby” sophistication ; )
And since many of our quilting friends love to make their baby gifts extra special, we know you’ll appreciate the Little Star quilt free project – it’s available on the website. Mix and match the coordinates as you like. Congrats to all, and happy sewing!
It’s that time again — final prep mode continues as we prepare to greet our quilt shop owners and industry friends at Spring Quilt Market! This time, the trade show is in Portland, OR, May 18-20. If you’re attending, you’ll find us in Booth # 737.
Pati Violick, our Director of Advertising & Marketing, will share a few cool techniques in the booth for various types of handwork, incorporating our versatile new basic BASECLOTH.
And speaking of Basecloth, you’ll also want to see some of the gorgeous garments designed by Amy Barickman of Indygo Junction, also in the Basecloth – we told you it was versatile! These easy, timeless silhouettes prove that our season-spanning cotton Basecloth goes far beyond quilting and needlework. Shown below in three of the eight classic colors, the clothing patterns below (and many others) are available through Indygo Junction. Now… for extra credit, imagine a bit of embroidery or other custom handwork along the edge of one of these garments…
It’s that time again — we’re in last-minute prep mode, ready to greet so many of our quilt shop owners and industry friends at Spring Quilt Market! This time, the trade show is in Portland, OR, May 18-20. If you’re attending, you’ll find us in Booth # 737, along with a display of the actual quilts from our stunning new BOM programs and designer fabric collections! Shown first here is “Stargazing” by Krisanne Watkins of Quail Valley Quilts (featuring our AGED MUSLINS)
Also enjoy the richly-colored and beautifully pieced PRIMITIVE THREADS collection by Pam Buda. The pattern is available through Heartspun Quilts.
Next up: Kim Eichler-Messmer’s juicy artisan batik line, IMBUE Batiks, as interpreted by Kenna Ogg of Madison Cottage Design
What makes a batik an “artisan batik”? Clearly, all batiks are created by talented artists around the world, whether or not we know their names. With two beautiful designer batik collections in our current Studio 37 line, we asked our designers what it is that gives their creations that “artisan” touch, and uncovered some of their signature characteristics:
Victoria Findlay Wolfe describes her PARTS DEPT. BATIKS as having an artistic use of negative space in the designs. “Graphic, fun rock-and-roll style prints…Edgy, yet they play well with others. Classic dots and Crisp whites.” Her Star Storm pattern and kit (lower left) are available online.
Kim Eichler-Messmer points out the following in her IMBUE BATIKS, her debut collection for Studio 37. “They are different because of clean, modern color palette inspired by my own hand dyed fabric…
